1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding livestock and, in particular, concerns an apparatus for mounting a salt or mineral block to a corral or fence post such that the salt or mineral block is elevated off the ground.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that livestock often requires the addition of mineral supplements or salts to their everyday diet. Livestock are typically fed either by allowing the livestock to graze upon natural grasses or are fed hay or feed in a corral. The hay or feed can be comprised of alfalfa hay or any of a number of different types of feed grains. In addition to these feeds, most livestock, such as horses and cattle, require the addition of salt and various other minerals to be added to their diet for the livestock to maintain adequate health.
To address this dietary need, livestock owners typically provide supplemental blocks of feed salt minerals, or mineral laden salt to their animals. Often times, the livestock owner simply deposits the supplemental feed block on the ground at a location where the livestock can consume the supplemental feed block. Typically, a very large supplemental feed block can weigh upwards up to 50 pounds and can provide the necessary supplemental nutrition to the livestock for an extended period of time.
However, one difficulty of leaving the supplemental feed block on the ground is that it promotes waste of the feed block. In particular, if the supplemental feed block is positioned in the ground of a livestock corral, such as a horse corral, the feed block may be contaminated by dirt and manure to the point where the livestock will no longer consume the feed block. Similarly, the feed block may be damaged as a result of the livestock inadvertently stepping on the feed block. Moreover, by positioning the feed block on the ground, the feed block may also be dissolved if it is left to rest in water occurring as a result of rain or sprinkling.
Hence, it is often desirable to mount a supplemental feed block in a location where the feed block is not positioned on the ground. To address this need, some salt or feed block holders have been developed. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 2,203,275 to Beyea disclose one typical prior art supplemental feed block holder. The salt block holder illustrated on the Beyea patent includes a platform that has a recess which is adapted to receive a generally cylindrical salt block and then an arm with a single clamp that is adapted to clamp on to a vertical post of a corral. While the apparatus disclosed in the Beyea patent allows for the mounting of supplemental feed blocks off of the ground, this particular block holder is limited in its capability and is expensive to manufacture.
In particular, the Beyea salt block holder has a receptacle in which a particular size of salt block is to be mounted. Salt blocks that do not have that configuration cannot be mounted in this particular receptacle. Moreover, the use of a receptacle necessitates that the receptacle be equipped with a drain as water and saliva would otherwise collect in the receptacle and begin to dissolve the salt block.
Moreover, the Beyea salt block holder is adapted to be used primarily with smaller salt blocks. The use of only a single clamp that clamps directly onto a vertical post of a corral or enclosure limits the total weight of the salt or supplemental feed block that can be supported by the holder over long periods of time. Larger supplemental feed blocks will result in a tremendous force being placed upon the single clamp as a result of the cantilevered loading. This can resolve in the clamp bending over time, damaging the fence post or loosening the holder from the vertical post.
Hence, it will appreciated that there is a continuing need for a salt or supplemental feed block holder that can be attached to corral post or fence post so as to maintain the supplemental feed block in an elevated position above the ground. To this end, there is a need for a supplemental feed block holder that can be used in conjunction with the number of different supplemental feed blocks having different configurations and is also adapted for supporting heavier supplemental feed blocks including feed blocks having weights in excess of approximately 50 pounds.